Ji Chengxuan nodded. "I didn't expect so many interesting things happened to you when you were a kid. Then what happened later? He couldn't have ignored you for the rest of his life, could he?"
"No, he didn't," Yun Que'er shook her head. "Later, he was adopted. We only knew each other for those few years."
Sometimes, for some people, we always think we'll meet again someday, and that there's no hurry to say certain things.
But who knows what tomorrow will bring?
A fleeting look of disappointment flashed across Yun Que'er's face, but she quickly regained her composure.
"It doesn't matter. I'm no longer in that time and space. What's the point of dwelling on the past?"
Yun Que'er turned around and led the way forward.
Ji Chengxuan stared at Yun Que'er's back. Suddenly, something flashed through his mind, and his eyes darkened.
"Yun Que'er," Ji Chengxuan called out to her.
"What's up?"
"Nothing," Ji Chengxuan shook his head. "I just thought we should go and check. My father and the others have been gone for so long. I wonder how things are going."
She had been so distracted with Ji Chengxuan that she almost forgot the most important thing at hand.
Yun Que'er snapped back to reality and quickly followed Ji Chengxuan to the village committee.
From afar, they could hear Xu Rongda's shouts.
"I said, Secretary, what do you mean by this? I got beaten up for no reason, and now you want me to make peace with them? It's a complete joke!"
Ji Chengxuan and Yun Que'er exchanged a look.
This Xu Rongda was really a pain in the neck.
They walked closer and saw Xu Rongda slapping the table and ranting at the secretary at the door.
"Do you know who my wife is? How dare you offend me! I think you don't want to be the secretary anymore! Let me tell you, not only will I not make peace today, but I also want them to pay my medical bills. Otherwise, this is not going to end!"
Old Doctor Ji put his arm around Zheng Ying and looked at Xu Rongda with anger in his eyes.
"That's enough! Do you want me to expose all your past deeds?"
"Are you threatening me?" Xu Rongda suddenly turned around and narrowed his eyes.
He sized up Zheng Ying for a moment and sneered.
"Fine, then let's see who will be the one to lose face!"
He snorted coldly at Zheng Ying. "But we'll also have to see if your wife is willing. I thought you were so protective of her, Old Ji. Turns out, you're the one who's been rubbing salt in her wounds all along!"
Yun Que'er, listening outside, was so angry that she laughed.
Wasn't Xu Rongda the one who started all this?
Now he was turning around and slandering Old Doctor Ji. This guy was really disgusting when he was being so shameless!
"Enough!" The secretary couldn't stand it anymore and slapped the table twice. "Director Xu, you're a decent person. Do you really have to make such a scene?"
Xu Rongda snorted and sat down on the chair in a domineering manner.
"Oh, Secretary, are you trying to teach me a lesson? You're wasting your breath. You?"
Xu Rongda gave the secretary a disdainful look.
"Even though you're the secretary, don't take yourself too seriously. You think just because you have a small official position, you can do whatever you want? Hmph..."
Xu Rongda clearly felt confident and became disrespectful to the secretary.
Even though the secretary had a good temper, he had been putting up with Xu Rongda for a long time.
Especially now that Xu Rongda was almost stepping on his head, the secretary's face immediately darkened.
He was silent for a while. Xu Rongda thought the secretary had finally come to his senses and proudly crossed his legs.
"A wise man knows when to yield, Secretary. I advise you not to get involved in this. Otherwise, you might get removed from your position one day, and you won't even know where to cry."
The secretary sneered. "Director Xu is right. I should be wise. Thank you for the reminder."
Xu Rongda was so proud that he almost wagged his tail. But before he could even laugh out loud, the secretary calmly continued.
"If it weren't for Director Xu, I would have really forgotten my own identity. You're right. Don't take myself too seriously. I should do my job while in office. Come to think of it, I'm the secretary of this village, and there's no village head for now. So when something happens to the villagers, I'm the only one who can make decisions for them."
The more Xu Rongda listened, the more something seemed off. He stood up.
"What do you mean by that?"
The secretary stared intently at Xu Rongda. "It means I have to intervene in this matter today. Since Director Xu got beaten up, whether he wants to mediate or not, his family should come and take a look. We don't want him to be injured without knowing it and end up with a serious problem later."
Xu Rongda instantly felt humiliated. "You're talking nonsense! I'm a doctor myself. Don't I know if I'm injured? You're insulting me!"
The secretary laughed as if he had heard a funny joke.
"In that case, Director Xu knows where he's injured. I see that you're full of energy, so it shouldn't be a big deal. You don't need the medical bills then, right?"
Only then did Xu Rongda realize he had fallen into the secretary's trap. He was so angry that he stared.
"Nonsense! Can't you see that I'm black and blue?"
"Oh, then it seems it's quite serious. In my opinion, we should call his family."
The secretary paced back and forth a few times, making Xu Rongda a bit dizzy.
He impatiently ruffled his hair. "Fine, fine. Call!"
The secretary picked up the landline phone on the table and said as he did so.
"Then I'll make the call."
As he said that, the secretary gave Old Doctor Ji a meaningful look.
The secretary called Xu Rongda's wife and told her to come quickly.
Then he picked up a box of Chinese tobacco and walked towards Old Doctor Ji. "Brother, have a smoke with me."
The two of them went outside.
Yun Que'er and Ji Chengxuan peeked around secretly and watched.
They saw the secretary strike a match and light the cigarettes for himself and Old Doctor Ji.
"Brother, Xu Rongda's wife will be here soon. Have you thought about what to say?"
Old Doctor Ji pinched the cigarette and was silent for a while. He smiled bitterly.
"What can I do? His wife has a high position and great power. I'm just a small doctor. At worst, they'll give me a hard time and revoke my medical license. Anyway, I'm not going to work at the new health center. If they revoke it, so be it. If necessary, I'll just pay some compensation. All my family wants is to live a peaceful life."
"Brother, you're usually so smart, but you're being a bit stupid this time," the secretary sighed. "Think again. Is there any other way to handle this?"
The secretary couldn't be too explicit, but he was afraid Old Doctor Ji wouldn't understand, so he added one more thing.
"Even the strongest woman can't escape the matter of love."
Seeing that Old Doctor Ji still didn't understand, Yun Que'er got anxious.
She quickly ran up and picked up what the secretary wanted to say but couldn't.
"I have a good idea," Yun Que'er grabbed Old Doctor Ji's sleeve. "Director Xu's wife is a strong woman. He probably has no status at home and is afraid of his wife. But what if his wife finds out about some of his dirty secrets? What will happen to her?"